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 Post subject: Switchfoot/Eisley review in the Dallas Morning NewsPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 7:04 am 
Eisley was mentioned in the review done by the Dallas Morning News, which is in today's (Thursday) paper. http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/music/stories/DN-switch foot_1110gl.ART.State.Edition2.8f5e8a8.html Pop music: Switchfoot stumbles at the Gypsy Tea Room 10:33 AM CST on Thursday, November 10, 2005 By MIKE DANIEL / The Dallas Morning News There's absolutely nothing wrong with happy music. Heck, the world needs a bunch more of it, really. But wouldn't its effect evaporate if the band playing it didn't act the part? Of course. San Diego-based modern-rock act Switchfoot solidified that corollary with a lukewarm, patchy and largely dispassionate 105-minute set at the Gypsy Tea Room's ballroom on Tuesday. Put simply, the million-selling quintet didn't try hard enough to be entertaining at the sold-out venue, and what little effort it displayed came off half-baked at best. (Note to frontman and guitarist Jon Foreman: Do not call Dallas "D-town," even if you ask the audience's permission. D-town is Detroit, or Dogtown to extreme-sports enthusiasts. Dallas is Big D.) It's that kind of heedless drivel that shredded any hope Switchfoot would win over most of the young, squeaky-clean crowd. The rest of the band was so lackluster that they appeared either ill or spaced-out; whatever infection they carried quickly spread to the patrons, who were as still and disengaged as any in recent rock-show memory. The only energy came from Mr. Foreman, who demonstrated pathetic skill in controlling his mike and ax. His performance wavered so severely that he lost his breath during key songs (his yelping during "Easier Than Love" was particularly embarrassing) and visibly withered during improvised passages (please leave the tooth-picking guitar technique to Jimi's legacy). The band did save its one cohesive number for the encore: a taut, voltaic version of "Stars," the best tune on its new album, Nothing Is Sound. A lone crowd surfer even popped up, and a few faithful pogoed to the chorus. Maybe it was genuine, but it was just as likely pent-up frustration over a seriously underwhelming headliner. Calmer and infinitely more quirky melodic-pop act Eisley, which preceded Switchfoot on the three-act bill, supplied the evening's gleeful sonic moments. It was the Tyler-based band's third supporting run through its back yard since its major-label debut, Room Noises, was released in February, and the road time has turned it into an estimable (but still willowy and bashful, which is a key part of its charm) live act. Singer-keyboardist Stacy DuPree's crystalline vocals on "Marvelous Things" and the band's uplifting turn through "Mr. Pine" affirmed that happy music has a future after all. E-mail mdaniel@dallasnews.com _________________ - Megan 
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Joined: 02 Jul 2005 | Posts: 2880 | Location: Dallas
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Post subject: Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 7:10 am
Thanks for posting that! I'm totally gonna e-mail that guy and thank him for the review.  _________________ INTELLECT AND ROMANCE OVER BRUTE FORCE AND CYNICISM Smokemonster |
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Joined: 24 Sep 2003 | Posts: 14510 | Location: Alone on an airplane, fallin' asleep against the windowpane...
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Post subject: Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 7:12 am
I felt sorry for Switchfoot while reading this. At leat everyone seemed to enjoy Eisley. Haha..."D-Town." 
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Joined: 11 Aug 2005 | Posts: 3181 |
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Post subject: Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 11:34 am
I thought Switchfoot was good -- heck, I thought they were great! I enjoyed Eisley for sure, but loved Switchfoot's show (and I went there primarily for Eisley, so hey). Maybe I was just too forgiving and willing to enjoy the music. My brother and I, at least, had no trouble dancing like there was no tomorrow. Chad (Butler, drummer for The Foot) was really getting into it from what I saw, and Tim (Foreman, bassist) looked like he was enjoying himself from the few glimpses I got of him. And the man completely missed it when he said that Switchfoot is supposed to be happy music. Read the lyrics and listen to the new album, and one should notice the fact that this stuff is seriously dark -- Christian-dark, to be sure (therefore with a sense of hope in it), but it isn't supposed to be "happy", per se. The way this guy wrote the review makes it sound like Switchfoot just absolutely blew it, when I didn't see or hear it that way at all. I just figured that everyone else didn't like to dance. Of course, live music is a rarity for me, so I could just be inexperienced. Or maybe the people of Dallas are spoiled by the amount of music they get to hear without having to drive five hours each way. Just because a band doesn't headbang or draw great attention to themselves doesn't mean they suck, and it doesn't mean they care about the music -- after all, shouldn't it be the music that matters, not what other kind of entertainment they put on? THAT SAID, I would have liked to hear more talking from the band in between songs instead of just "thank you for your applause, now here's the next song". Jon did a good thing when he stopped in the middle of "Politicians" to explain what he meant by it. More stuff like that would have pushed up their rating (from "great" to "amazing") for me. Though when it comes to D-town or whatever, I couldn't really care less. I'm from San Angelo. Galen _________________ FINALLY SAW EISLEY IN CONCERT 11/8/05!!!!! |
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Joined: 08 Nov 2004 | Posts: 28 | Location: San Angelo, Texas
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Post subject: Re: Switchfoot/Eisley review in the Dallas Morning News Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 1:20 pm
Meggers wrote: Singer-keyboardist Stacy DuPree's crystalline vocals on "Marvelous Things" and the band's uplifting turn through "Mr. Pine" affirmed that happy music has a future after all. aww, thats cool! i love Mr. pine, and i cant understand anything but "follow the crystal air....etc." |
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Joined: 12 Sep 2005 | Posts: 1182 | Location: Houston
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Post subject: Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 3:33 pm
guitarfan wrote: I thought Switchfoot was good -- heck, I thought they were great! I enjoyed Eisley for sure, but loved Switchfoot's show (and I went there primarily for Eisley, so hey). Maybe I was just too forgiving and willing to enjoy the music. yeah i agree... i loved switchfoot's show. and maybe i am forgiving... i tend to be that with music. but i thought they rocked. i thought they played well. but whatever. i mean, it was kinda dorky that he called dallas "d town" but how is he supposed to know any better? they're from california. it was silly, but it didn't ruin anything for me. i, of course, loved eisley as well. they were amazing, just as i had expected. overall, i had fun, whether or not people were moshing. and i guess, for me, that's really what it's about. _________________ Facebook & Twitter & Blog(ish)-type thing |
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Joined: 18 Jan 2004 | Posts: 5565 | Location: Austin, TX
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Post subject: Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 3:56 pm
hahah i didn't really even cared about d-town. i thought it was cute, especially their song for dallas. yea but iono what show this critic watched b/c they truly rocked the house. remember how loud it was for them to come back for the encore? gosh i miss the concert i wish i was there again |
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Joined: 27 Sep 2005 | Posts: 83 | Location: dallas
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